The Wishing Well
by independentwriter-137
Summary: Nothing was the same after one night's tragedy, after which Max headed to New York. Now, 5 years later with no place to go, Max returns to Arizona where she learns to deal with what pushed her away in the first place. Wishing only takes you so far. FAX
1. The Well

**-The Wishing Well-**

Max didn't know what was worse: the fact that she was fired or the fact that she had no place to go. _Yeah, like deciding which is better will help,_ she thought sarcastically.

She glanced at the city she thought she had come to love, New York. It was the only place she knew was more alive at night than at day time. In its own way, New York was breath taking, especially Times Square with its skyscrapers that seemed to touch the moon, the bright neon lights that imprinted itself on your eyes if you looked at it too long, the people that always had some kind of business to attend to, Max had thought of this place as home.

But she was wrong, even though she loved the city; it just wasn't the place for her. Her career as a journalist was over and she was behind on her rent payments, she didn't have any good friends here yet to lean on, she had nothing here. All she had left to do was go home…to _Arizona._

So that's why she was here now, pulling her bags out of her mom's car and tossing them on her old bed. Her room hadn't changed much, the same old _Black Veil Brides_ and _Simple Plan_ posters hung on the walls. The award she won for in sixth grade was still posted above her bed. She smiled at the memory, she joined because everyone told her she didn't stand a chance if she entered, so she did just because she could. Max swore she would never forget Lissa Redmond's face when she beat her.

"It's so good to have you back, Max," her mother smiled and leaned against the doorway.

"It's good to be back, Mom," Max smiled back, at least that's what she hoped it looked like. Don't get her wrong, she loved her mother and her sister, but there was a reason she left Arizona in the first place. "I'm, uh, gonna go for a walk, that ok?" she asked, absentmindedly smoothing out the little crease on her covers.

Her mother nodded enthusiastically, "Sure, no problem."

Max nodded and took two steps at a time as she headed downstairs. She needed some air badly right now.

As soon as she stepped outside the familiarity all came rushing back to her. She glanced at the lawn where she would play tag with her friends Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. The Flock, they called themselves! Those were still the good times, before—

Max shook her head. She didn't need to think about _that_, too.

Instinctively, she walked to the little well that was only a few blocks away from her house. It was on a vacant lot that hadn't been occupied for years. The well had been there since anyone could remember; it was part of the community.

Max couldn't help but feel a little start of surprise upon seeing it. Sure she didn't expect it to be gone or anything, but it was all just so familiar and strange all at the same time.

_We used to make wishes on this thing,_ she remembered. She and her friends, particularly Fang and her, had spent a lot of their days hanging out around that well, too. They would throw pennies and dimes while closing their eyes tightly and making a wish. Max couldn't remember if any of her wishes came true, but that wasn't what mattered to them. It was what it symbolized. It meant hope for them, the possibility of anything.

_That's what I need,_ Max thought, _hope._ A fresh wave of sadness washed over her, why couldn't anything go _her_ way? Ever since that accident in October a few years ago her luck had gone downhill. Her life after that night was just one tragedy after another. She remembered when she first decided to leave Arizona; it was a few months after that night. She knew she couldn't stay, not with every little thing reminding her of what happened. An overwhelming desire to cry came over Max, there were so many things she left unsaid, so many people she didn't say good bye to, so much unfinished business, but she just couldn't stand staying there for another minute.

Now, she just wanted something to go her way, for life to cut her a break for once. She walked over to the well, leaning on it for support. She made a decision and searched her pockets for a coin.

"C'mon, c'mon, I've got to have some spare change," she muttered to herself as she rummaged through her jacket pockets. She sighed when she found none and checked her jean pockets.

Her fingers touched something cold and metallic, "Yes!" She fished out the small penny and looked at it. What should she wish for? She didn't want anything specific; she just wanted life to actually go well for once.

She nodded and closed her eyes tightly just as she used to. Balancing the penny on her thumb nail, she wished for something good to happen to her for once, then she flicked her thumb and watched as the coin flipped in the air for a few seconds before landing in the water inside the well.

Max looked down trying to see where it landed, but realized how stupid that was. She rubbed her hands together and sighed, "Guess we'll both see what happens, huh?" she whispered.

She turned on her heel, ready to head back home when she bumped into someone and landed right on her butt.

Rubbing her soar backside, she looked up to see the person she ran into. "Sorry, didn't see you ther—" she stopped midsentence as a pair of obsidian eyes stared back at her chocolate brown ones. Her breath hitched as she realized who exactly she bumped into. She hadn't seen him in years, not since the accident.

"Fang."

**A/N. How was it? This idea just popped into my head, I'm not sure if I'll continue it or not; it depends on how well it's received, so if you like it and want to see it continued, review.**

**-Indy**


	2. You're Back

"Fang," she breathed.

For a moment, she almost couldn't believe it was him. He hadn't changed since she last saw him, the same black jeans and t-shirt, the same tousled black hair that used to make the girls crazy, and his eyes. They still had the same depth to them; they still held a thousand secrets that only a precious few ever got to learn. It was as if she had projected him from her memory.

"Max," he said back.

They stared at each other for a few moments, each taking in the others presence. Fang was the first one to snap out of the trance and he held out his hand and helped Max up.

Max noticed how his hand lingered in hers for a second longer than he had to. She was grateful for the darkness to cover her blush.

"You didn't tell me you were back," he told her, a trace of hurt in his voice.

Max shrugged, "I didn't tell anyone except Mom and Ella." She leaned against the well again and folded her arms to her chest. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, "I could ask you the same thing."

"I made a wish," she replied, "you?"

"I still visit here sometimes, for old times' sakes," he told her. He paused, "What'd you wish for?"

She grinned at him, "You know I can't tell you."

Fang rolled his eyes, "That's for birthday wishes."

"Same difference," she told him. She paused thoughtfully, "So how's the Flock?"

"Iggy's been going out with Nudge for a while," he said.

Max looked at him, surprised, "You're kidding?"

He shook his head, "I was just as surprised as you were. Anyway, Gazzy's headed for college in the fall, he misses you a lot, you know. He'll be glad you're back."

Max snorted, "Doubt it."

Fang glanced at her, "You know," he continued, "things haven't been the same since you left."

Max's eyebrows shot up, she wasn't expecting that. "You mean it got better?" she chuckled darkly.

"Max—"

"Don't start, please. I know it was my fault, I should have watched her better. She was _my_ responsibility and I failed her. I don't even know what I'm doing here," she said and began to walk away.

"Max!" he called after her, but she didn't stop. She didn't want to talk about it anymore; her eyes were already prickling with tears.

He caught up with her, caught her by the arm and spun her around. "You can't keep running away," he whispered.

Max jerked her arm back, "Why not? I've been doing it for five years now."

"And how's that working out for you?" he shot back.

Max shook her head, "I wish I never came back."

"Is that what you wished for, then? I guess it didn't come true," he said. Before she could reply, he said, "You're the only one who blames yourself. It wasn't your fault; you have to accept that you can't save everyone."

"Yeah well, Angel wouldn't have needed saving if I had just watched over her like I was supposed to. You're wrong though, I'm not the only one who blames me. You think I couldn't read the looks those other people gave me? The looks _you_ gave me?" she scoffed.

"There _were_ no looks, Max. It was all in your head, but you're so stubborn you refused to see it. You were paranoid and feeling guilty. You didn't even say good bye, you know that? We just wake up one day and found out that you just packed your bags and _left._ Losing Angel was enough, Max, we didn't need to lose you, too," Fang explained.

_We didn't need to lose you, too. _Max swiped at her eyes to get rid of the tears. She didn't know what to think, what to say. It was so much easier to bury it and never think of it again, to pretend it never happened.

_You can't keep running away, _his voice echoed in her head. Fang searched her eyes for something and Max dropped his gaze. "I'll keep in touch," she said quietly before turning to leave once more.

This time Fang didn't stop her, but she could feel his gaze burning into her skull.

She started to walk faster, to put as much distance between them as possible, and then she was running again.

_You can't keep running away._

But she didn't know what else to do! She didn't know _how_ to deal with him, with the Flock, with Angel. She was _never_ good with emotions. Locking them up in a box and throwing the key away was all she knew how to do. It's what she _taught_ herself to do.

_And how's that working out for you?_

Max ran back upstairs to her room, saying a brief "hi" to her mother on her way there. She locked her bedroom door and grabbed a pillow from her bed. She pressed her face to it and screamed until her throat felt raw.

"I'm so sorry, Angel, I'm so sorry," she whispered as if Angel could actually hear her. She changed into her shorts and basketball jersey and climbed into bed.

She stared at the ceiling, hoping for sleep to take her, but Fang's words still echoed in her head, each time cutting deeper and deeper into her soul.

_You can't keep running away._

**A/N. I'm really happy for all the positive reviews I got from you guys! I know what some of you are thinking, **_**you're starting another story?**_** Well, yeah, but I have a lot more free time on my hands now. I'll probably alternate updates between this and **_**Misplaced Trust**_**, or I'll update them both around the same time. We'll see.**

**Review!**

**-Indy**


	3. Catching up with Ella

**A/N. Oh my FNICKING GOD! Sometimes I hate FanFiction. It keeps _saying _I updated, but when I check there's _nothing._ I have no idea what happened with my FF acount, but something went wrong when I posted this chapter and I had to keep _re-_posting it until it took, so sorry if you got spammed with like three or more emails of the story being updated. I am so sorry for any confusion/inconvinience :P**

_I'm still not exactly sure how it happened._

_I was fresh out of high school, only graduated a couple of days before and Fang asked me to look after her. He, Gazzy, and Iggy were all going to watch some game and they asked me to watch her, how could I refuse?_

_I remember her face lit up when she saw me and how she waved goodbye at the boys until she couldn't see them anymore. It was all planned out; I even saved some of my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies for her._

_It was supposed to be perfect._

_She was clutching that stuffed toy, a bear with wings of an angel, when she asked me if we could watch a movie. I nodded and loaded in one of her favorites, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She hid her face in my lap as the Basilisk appeared. She told me she'd rather play outside now._

_I glanced at the clock, the boys left at two-thirty and by that time six o'clock was approaching quickly. I didn't see the harm, so I agreed and brought a small ball with us._

_We played for a while, just throwing the ball back and forth. I remember laughing as she jumped to catch the ball. She gave me a grin and told me she was glad that I was the one babysitting her and not the old lady, Mrs. Gladstone, from across the street._

_I took a quick glance at my watch; it was already seven-thirty and I wondered why the boys weren't here yet. How long could a stupid game take? I was getting worried; there was a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and I told Angel to stay there while I made a quick phone call. I didn't realize it would be the worst decision of my life._

_I dialled Fang's number quickly and paced anxiously as it rang. From outside, Angel let out a laugh and I wondered what was so funny._

_"Hello?" Fang's voice said over the phone._

_"Where the hell are you?" I asked angrily._

_"Gazzy and Iggy got hungry, we decided to stop for a bite, but we're on our way now," Fang explained._

_"Oh, I thought something bad happened," I sighed, relieved._

_"How are you and Angel?" he asked me._

_I never got to answer. All I heard was the screeching of tires and a high pitched scream before a heart stopping crash._

_"Max? Max what—" I tore the phone away from my ear and ran outside._

_"Angel!" I yelled and look around the yard. She was gone._

_Then I saw her, a broken figure on the side of the street directly in front of the yard. "No!" I screeched._

_The woman in the car stepped out, crying. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see her. She just ran in front of me and—oh God!" she cried and brought out her cell phone, "I'm calling 911."_

_I rushed to Angel's side and gripped her hand tightly._

_"Angel? Sweetie? Stay with me," I cried._

_I tried to wipe the blood away from that nasty gash on her forehead; her terrified blue eyes looked up at me. "Max, I—I just wanted to catch the firefly. I didn't—" she gasped._

_"Shhh, it's okay, just hang in there, alright?" Max moved the hair away from her face._

_"Max," she whispered, then her eyes fluttered shut._

_Her chest barely lifted as she took her final breaths. "No! Angel! Stay with me God damn it! Stay with me! Angel! Angel!"_

_It all happened so fast. All I know for sure is that Angel might have died that day, but she took me with her._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Max!" Ella smiled.<p>

"Hey, yourself," Max smiled back, grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster.

"That's mine!" Ella complained.

The older girl smirked, "You snooze you lose."

Ella rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep the smile of her face. "I'm really glad your back, Max," she said.

"And miss seeing you off to college? Nah," Max laughed. She'd been back for what? Five days now? Slowly, she was beginning to act like normal, at least around her Mom and Ella. Max hadn't seen any of her old friends yet, except for that one encounter with Fang, which was not exactly something she wanted to repeat.

Ella nodded, "You just came back and I'm going to have to leave in the fall? Hardly fair."

Max shrugged, "Life isn't fair."

Ella didn't need to reply, she knew that if anyone knew first-hand how unfair life could be, it was Max. Deciding to change the subject, Ella said, "So I asked Nudge and Gazzy to come over today. Nudge will probably bring Iggy with her since they're going out and all. I asked Fang, too, but he said he couldn't make it today. You okay with some visitors?"

Max hid a slight grimace by biting into her toast. She knew she would have to face them sooner or later, she was hoping for later though. A part of her was excited to see them though; she missed them more than she would have liked to admit. So she nodded and even managed a smile, "Great!"

Ella looked relieved, "Mom said she'll even have chocolate chip cookies ready."

Max hummed appreciatively, "Haven't had those for a while."

The younger girl laughed, "I always wondered how you've survived for _five years_ without them."

"Mrs. Fields kept me going, but they still have nothing on Mom's," said Max.

"I have to agree with you there. I—" Ella was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

_"Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you? Been here all along, so—"_ it sang. Ella frowned, "Sorry, got a get this. Talk to you later, sis," she said, before moving to the living room to answer the phone.

Max was left alone with her thoughts. She bit her lip, wondering what the coming reunion might hold. Would they be mad at her? Glad to see her? She didn't know, but she would soon find out.

**A/N. I decided whenever scenes from the past come up, they'll be italicized and in first person point of view, is that okay with you guys? I'll make sure you'll be able to tell whose point of view it is. Now you know what happened to Angel, I hope I wrote her death scene well. Anyway, just to clear things up this is AU/AH, not set after Angel. Sorry if there was any confusion.**

**Oh and would you guys check out another story of mine called _10 Reasons Why?_ Thanks!**

**-Indy**


	4. Unfulfilled Wish

_We were running, pounding our feet on the hard pavement and laughing like mad men. Max and I were racing, something we used to do a lot._

_An eight year old Max turned to me and gave me a blinding smile, "Can't keep up, Fangy?"_

_I stuck my tongue out at her and rolled my eyes, "I'm just going easy on you." To prove my point I leaned forward, beginning to gain on her._

"_Last one to the well's a rotten egg!" she laughed before running even faster._

_I shook my head; she'd always been the fastest among us. "You are so lame!" I called after her. She didn't give any indication she heard me, but I knew she did._

_She was going to get there first and she knew it. Her arms pin wheeled slightly as she came to an abrupt stop and she turned grinning at me. I reached her a few seconds later, but already a few seconds to late._

_Max continued to grin smugly at me and I rolled my eyes. "So you beat me here, big whoop," I said sarcastically._

"_You're right," she agreed, and I eyed her suspiciously, usually she doesn't just end it there. "I beat you all the time, I should be used to it by now," she added._

"_Whatever," I said, leaning on the well._

_The thing had been here since forever. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me it was there since the beginning of time._

"_Hey, you want to make a wish?" she asked me, gesturing to the well._

_I shrugged, "Why not? I fished out a coin from my pocket and Max did the same._

"_One, two—"_

"_Wait!" I stopped her, "You've gotta close your eyes and wish or else it doesn't count."_

"_Fine," Max sighed._

_I closed my eyes tightly and thought of a wish._

"_Eyes closed?" She asked me and I nodded, then realized that she couldn't see it._

"_Yep," I replied and she counted._

"_One, two, three!" And we flipped our coins in the air._

_I don't know what she wished for, and I won't tell you just yet what I wished for either, but I can tell you that as of now, it hasn't come true._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Fang! You sure you not coming?" Iggy asked, standing just outside his doorway.<p>

Fang looked up from his laptop and gave him a weary look. "Yeah," he said, "Maybe next time."

Iggy's eyebrows knit in concern, "You know, man, you can't avoid her forever."

"I'm not avoiding her! I just have a lot of work to do on my blog and stuff," Fang lied. He didn't have anything to do really. He knew Max needed some time before he talked to her again and he was more than willing to give it to her, anything to get him and her back on track.

"If you say so. I'll tell her you said hey," Iggy said uncertainly, and turned to leave.

"Yeah, you do that," Fang muttered to himself. He turned his attention back to the screen and opened a file he had exited when Iggy entered the room.

He found himself staring at a photograph of him and Max. They had just graduated from high school and they held up their diplomas for the camera. Max was beaming and gave the camera a blinding smile; he wondered if she'd ever smile like that again. Her arm was wrapped around Fang's waist while his was draped over her shoulders. He even managed a grin for the picture.

It was the last picture of the two before the accident.

Fang sighed. He wanted so badly to grab Max by the shoulders and make her understand that it wasn't her fault. He wanted her to stop drowning herself in guilt and just get it through her thick skull that she couldn't have done anything. She had to stop calling the _incident_ and start calling it the _accident_ because that's what it was. An accident. It was nobody's fault, not hers, not Angel's, and not even the driver's.

And if after she understood that she still wanted someone to blame, it should be him. If it was anyone's fault, it was his.

**A/N. Okay, so it turned out shorter than I was hoping for. At first I included the rest of the Flock's reunion with Max, but it got too long and I wasn't sure if I could maintain that kind of length, so I chopped it.**

**Anyway, as for Fang's part of the story in the accident…well let's just say you don't have the full story yet. ;)**

**Review!**

**-Indy**


End file.
